stofFeb 20
Florian Haas

If you're an English native speaker, do you ever use the word "minute" as a verb¹ to mean taking notes at a meeting?

A — I do
B — I would use the word, but that context normally doesn't come up in my life
C — I would not, because that meaning is archaic

(Boosts appreciated.)

¹ Emphasis on "as a verb". An example sentence would be to say "could you join us to minute the conversation?"

A
31.5%
B
22.6%
C
46%
Poll ended at .
Feb 20 at 7:04amWeb
Show threadCarlton GibsonFeb 20
@xahteiwi I’d be inclined to say someone “takes the minutes” as more common. (Someone might say “Was that minuted?”… but “Who’s minuting?” would be weird.)
Show threadMatthew BoothFeb 20
@xahteiwi Archaic might be a bit strong. Old fashioned might be more appropriate. I would not use it myself, but have heard it used.
Show threadSolarbird Feb 20

@xahteiwi That's a new one for me. I've been official Secretary on multiple small organisation boards and I don't think I've ever heard minute used as a verb for any kind of note-taking. We _took_ minutes, we _take_ (the) minutes, but we don't minute.

At least, in my experience.

Show threadCrystal Huff (they/them)Feb 20
@xahteiwi I attend lots of city meetings, so I am accustomed to referring to the minutes or talking about the clerks who take the minutes. I'm not familiar with someone saying "I will minute this meeting," though ... is that what you mean, or do I misunderstand the poll? (I haven't voted yet because I'm not certain.)
Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20
@crystalvisits It emerges that the use as a verb is apparently entirely uncommon in North American English.
Show threadMark BurtonFeb 21
@xahteiwi @crystalvisits
I never knew that. Odd because they are very liberal at verbing nouns, often in ways that grate upon English ears.
Show threadmillennial fulcrumFeb 20

@xahteiwi it's C. "minute" is a measure of time. "meeting notes" is not a measure of time. so now both concepts are able to be said by a term that conveys meaning without deciphering.

I might be alone in this but I really like intentionally avoiding ambiguity when I speak.

like why not just call everything "minute" if you want words to have multiple meanings? "minute minute minute minute." if you're into that sort of nonsense, just go all in! 😂

Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20
@falcennial The Buffalo buffalo would like a word with you.
Show threadLenFeb 20

@xahteiwi to me, it very refers very specifically to the summarising notes that are taken during a formal, legally required meeting (such as an Annual General Meeting), and no other usage.

So no, notes that I take during a work meeting for my own use are not minutes, but a formal, legally-binding record of a formal, legally-binding meeting are minutes. And that's not archaic, that's what they're called.

E: oh, I think I may have missed the main thrust of the question. I have never heard of it being used as a verb, not even archaically. Only ever a plural noun.

Show threadToddZ ⓋFeb 20

@xahteiwi I gotta believe the A and B people are not catching "AS A VERB" in your question.

Everybody knows you take minutes at a meeting. Never in my life has anyone said "would you minute this meeting?"

(It was once a valid verb, but definitely archaic.)

Edit: Native US English speaker, professional background, attended many meetings with many minutes. 😅

Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20
@toddz Good point, emphasis added.
Show threadMark BurtonFeb 20
@toddz @xahteiwi
Of course we do!
Show threadnachtetFeb 20
@xahteiwi Not a native speaker and not as a verb, no. As a noun, yes, regularly.
Show threadDoug WadeFeb 20
@xahteiwi wiktionary records usages as recently as 2003 for the use of minute as a verb, so I guess not strictly archaic, but it is certainly exotic enough in my dialect that I was unaware it could be used in this way until I saw this poll. Maybe the Brits still use it that way? They do all sorts of wacky things.
Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20
@dougwade Are you sure that in 2026 it befits a USian to speak of "wacky things" other nations do?
Show threadDoug WadeFeb 20
@xahteiwi yes? Referring to differences in dialects is fun and good natured because objectively no-one is wrong?
Show threadDave RahardjaFeb 20
@xahteiwi I do use it, but not as a verb. But I don’t think it’s archaic because…I’ve never heard it used as a verb.
Show threadMatthew NewellFeb 20
@xahteiwi I have used it this year as a verb. As have quite a few of my colleagues. Small old fashioned company. Formal, old fashioned, but not archaic.
Show threadJax UKFeb 20

@xahteiwi

Yep. I worked in business admin for 20 years and to 'minute a meeting' was a regular occurrence. In SE UK if it matters, as these things are often regional.

Show threadSydney / Prophet 🏳️‍⚧️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 20
@xahteiwi I wasn't entirely certain there was really another way to say that exercise apart from saying "Meeting minutes" but I suppose taking notes makes sense
Show threadNigelFeb 20

@xahteiwi

I think perhaps 'formal' or 'official' rather than 'archaic' might be closer to the reality. So for example 'the minutes' might be taken at a council meeting but 'notes' taken at meetings where an exact record was not required. Also have only ever heard it used in the plural as 'the minutes'. Hope this waffle helps as I haven't had my espresso yet!

Show threadAndrew RendleFeb 20
@xahteiwi I answered 'A', but that has two caveats:
1. Minutes and notes are different things. The minutes of a meeting are the formal record of what's been decided, while notes are less structured and not an official document. Multiple people at a meeting can be taking notes, which may just be for their own use and which won't necessarily say the same things, but there's just one set of minutes.
Show threadAndrew RendleFeb 20
@xahteiwi and 2. I can't immediately think of when I would use "minute" as a verb that isn't in the contex of a Quaker meeting or committee, and Quaker decision-making is a bit odd compared to other organisations, so this may be a bit of jargon. (Quaker meeting minutes are read out and agreed in the meeting, rather than being circulated in draft afterwards and asking the next meeting to agree that they're an accurate record, and also tend to include rather more of the reasoning for a decision.)
Show threadRay McCarthyFeb 20
@xahteiwi
"Would you take the minutes" or similar like "Jean will take the minutes"
I've never heard or read "minute the conversation"
Show threadRobert BeltonFeb 20

@xahteiwi
yes it's a verb, as any dictionary should indicate. Not archaic yet.

But, it's taking an official record of a meeting, usually / preferably by a secretary rather than someone involved in the content of a meeting. These are usually formally agreed as accurate at the start of the next meeting.

I wouldn't have used the term as a noun or verb about my personal notes in a meeting.

Show threadPete KirkhamFeb 20
@xahteiwi I'd normally say 'I'll take notes' as I assumed the verb was a modern management speak thing, but if it's archaic I might start using it.
Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20
@PeteKirkham Certainly not a modern managementspeak thing!
Show threadMark BurtonFeb 20
@xahteiwi
Need to know where respondents are from. I'm a speaker of more or less standard English English, from the South but resident 50 years in the North.
We use it all the time.
Show threadTim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPEFeb 20

@xahteiwi I do however observe that the minute taker is the most powerful person in the meeting.

It doesn't matter what anyone says at the meeting, what matters are the decisions that are recorded in the minutes.

(The second most powerful person in a meeting is the one who writes the agenda. If you can do both, as "secretary" to the meeting, you're running the show.)

Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20
@TimWardCam The minute taker is the most powerful person in the meeting if the meeting chair doesn't do their job properly (a job that, needless to say, includes responsibility for the minutes being truthful and complete).
Show thread🔶Mark Nicoll 3.5%🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇳Feb 20
@xahteiwi
when talking about someone sure "this is [blank], they're going to minute the meeting" I've heard that said and would say it myself. But asking a person to minute sounds weird.
Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20

@duckwhistle Oh, interesting. So being put forward to minute is more common than being asked politely?

That would explain why so many people hate doing it…

Show thread🔶Mark Nicoll 3.5%🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇳Feb 20
@xahteiwi
No this is when the minute taker has already been decided, and someone who just arrived gets told why this other random person is in the room. Especially if they're not going to be taking much part in the discussion.
Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 20
@duckwhistle Okay, so prior to said decision, how would you ask someone to take the minutes?
Show thread🔶Mark Nicoll 3.5%🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇳Feb 20
@xahteiwi
just "Could you take the minutes please?"
Show threadhallunke23 🇺🇦Feb 20

Foreign speaker here. In German, „protokollieren” is a commonly used word.

@xahteiwi

Show threadCarlos SolísFeb 20
I get why do you specify the poll is for native English speakers only - in Spanish we still use the word "minuta" for the meeting notes. (For the sixtieth of an hour we use "minuto" with a final O)
Show threadMatt PanaroFeb 20
@csolisr I'm a native English speaker, but I'm only familiar with the noun-form: someone can take "the minutes" for the meeting, we can refer to the previous meeting's "minutes"
Show threadGilesFeb 20
@xahteiwi Context: I’ve been on governing boards, where this is standard usage.
Show threada7ndrewFeb 20
@xahteiwi
C except for past tense: Her objection was minuted.
Show threadSiderea, Sibylla BostoniensisFeb 21
@xahteiwi I said C, but I was wholly unaware that it was ever a verb, and have never heard that usage in my life. I am now having Mandela Shock and questioning whether I slid sideways in the multiverse again.
Show threadFlorian HaasFeb 21
@siderea OMG are you the author of the Asshole Filter article? I've found that concept tremendously useful. Thank you for writing that piece!
Show threadSiderea, Sibylla BostoniensisFeb 21
@xahteiwi I am! I'm glad you found it helpful.
Show threadMark BurtonFeb 21
@xahteiwi @siderea
Ha ha, I assumed that was a way of filtering out the usage "asshole" for the correct ;) "arsehole" (you can drop the 'h').
Show threadQuirky George 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇬🇧🇪🇺Feb 21
@xahteiwi I'm in SE UK and use minutes all the time as a noun and yes, as a verb too. I'll be taking the minutes/ I'll minute that remark.. etc